Xandros
Encyclopedia
Xandros is the name of both a line of operating system
s and Xandros Corporation, the company which creates them. Xandros Desktop was a Linux
distribution
. The name Xandros is derived from the X Window System
and the Greek
island of Andros
.
The co-creator of the now popular netbook, Xandros was founded in May 2001 by Linux Global Partners (Will Roseman and Dr. Frederick Berenstein), the company is headquartered
in New York City
.
Xandros Desktop was based on Corel Linux
, a Debian
-based distribution which was acquired along with the development team behind the product from Corel Corporation in August 2001 after Corel decided to sell the Linux distribution market. Xandros is a founding member of the Desktop Linux Consortium
and member of the Interop Vendor Alliance.
In July 2007, Xandros bought Scalix
, a Linux-based email and collaboration product, based on HP OpenMail
.
In July 2008, Xandros acquired Linspire
.
and open-source, Xandros was criticized for inclusion of proprietary software
developed in-house by the Xandros Corporation.
. It also included an "Applications CD" which includes extra programs which can be installed via Xandros Networks. As opposed to Home Edition Premium, the Home Edition did not include the photo manager, music manager, security suite, wireless profiles, or the ability to write to NTFS
partitions.
Xandros Corporation offered a 30-day trial version of Xandros Home Edition Premium as a free download for evaluation purposes.
Domains, used PPTP
VPN to connect remotely to the office, and used broadband wireless connectivity with 3G
, GSM and UMTS
support. Xandros Desktop Professional was officially released on 28 November 2006.
As with Home Edition Premium, Xandros Corporation also offered a 30-day trial version of Xandros Professional.
. Similar to Canonical's Wubi
installer for Ubuntu
, it was installed inside of Microsoft Windows, with Windows XP as the earliest supported version. It also had access to an "application store" based on CNR
, which was acquired through Xandros' acquisition of Linspire
in mid-2008.
Xandros Server was designed to run on servers
. It was officially launched at the 2006 LinuxWorld Conference and Expo
in Toronto
, on 25 April 2006, and officially released for purchase at the Xandros website on 1 May 2006, at a MSRP
of USD 450. Xandros Server 2.0 has been released in May 2007.
Xandros Desktop OS Standard Edition was basically the same as the Open Circulation Edition, but it included full-speed CD/DVD burning. This product was replaced by Home Edition.
Xandros Desktop OS Deluxe Edition included an "applications CD" which included extra programs which could be installed via Xandros Networks. This product was replaced by Home Edition Premium.
Xandros Desktop OS Surfside Edition was basically the same as Xandros Desktop OS Standard Edition, however the Surfside Edition also included a Plantronics USB headset and 120 minutes of Skype
Out service.
According to DistroWatch
, Xandros Desktop is discontinued.http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=xandros DistroWatch made the decision because no new official version or official updates to Xandros Desktop have been released since November 2006.http://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20100426#news
When Xandros purchased Linspire, they announced plans to retain Freespire
as a Debian-based free community distribution and to base future editions of Xandros Desktop Professional - Home Edition and Home Edition Premium were to be discontunued - on Freespire. (This would be similar to the way Novell
bases SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop
on their free openSUSE
and to the way Redhat bases Redhat Enterprise Linux on their free Fedora
.) However, according to one website, Xandros has discontinued Freespire. In addition, the DistroWatch website has added Freespire to its list of discontinued distributions.
The Xandros GUI
used a modified version of KDE
, which included replacing Konqueror
with its own proprietary file manager called Xandros File Manager. It also used a package manager known as Xandros Networks, which handles installation of software. Installation of Xandros was done by a wizard that asks questions about partitioning and the administrator (root) password.
It was possible to install and use the GNOME
and Xfce
desktop environments on Xandros.
.
In 2009, Xandros BridgeWays released the first of many Management Packs for Systems Center.
The BridgeWays Management Pack Suite of products includes:
In 2010 BridgeWays is “Extending System Center”, by expanding the scope and market potential for Systems Center, with Windows, Linux, UNIX and VMware application environment monitoring. BridgeWays’ only focus is on building, selling and supporting Management Packs for System Center. See BridgeWays users can now track their alerts through System Center Service Manager 2010
BridgeWays does not compete with Microsoft. This group works closely with the Microsoft System Center R&D, Sales and Marketing teams to maximize value to System Center customers. In addition Xandros Bridgeways System Center resells direct and through its partner network of Distributors, ISVs, and SI MVPs worldwide as a contributing member of the System Center community.
came with Xandros installed as well as Windows XP
. The installed version of Xandros is tab based, built from scratch using Xlib and the Qt 4.5 toolkit
. The full desktop version (or "Advanced Mode") may be installed—but not always easily—through a set of administrative command prompts. The full desktop version features a KDE
3 desktop with a few modifications performed by Xandros. This desktop mode also provides access to the Synaptic Package Manager
which can be used to update and manage the Eee PC's software.
In February 2009 it was announced Xandros is porting its Eee PC Linux distribution to 2 ARM processor-based (Freescale i.MX515
& the Qualcomm Snapdragon
CPU) platforms for netbooks & other mobile devices.
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s and Xandros Corporation, the company which creates them. Xandros Desktop was a Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
distribution
Linux distribution
A Linux distribution is a member of the family of Unix-like operating systems built on top of the Linux kernel. Such distributions are operating systems including a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players, and database applications...
. The name Xandros is derived from the X Window System
X Window System
The X window system is a computer software system and network protocol that provides a basis for graphical user interfaces and rich input device capability for networked computers...
and the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
island of Andros
Andros
Andros, or Andro is the northernmost island of the Greek Cyclades archipelago, approximately south east of Euboea, and about north of Tinos. It is nearly long, and its greatest breadth is . Its surface is for the most part mountainous, with many fruitful and well-watered valleys. The area is...
.
The co-creator of the now popular netbook, Xandros was founded in May 2001 by Linux Global Partners (Will Roseman and Dr. Frederick Berenstein), the company is headquartered
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Xandros Desktop was based on Corel Linux
Corel Linux
Corel Linux, also called Corel LinuxOS, was a Debian-based operating system made by Corel that was released in late 1999. Corel later discontinued the distribution, but did not remove the former Corel Open Source Development website until March 2002....
, a Debian
Debian
Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
-based distribution which was acquired along with the development team behind the product from Corel Corporation in August 2001 after Corel decided to sell the Linux distribution market. Xandros is a founding member of the Desktop Linux Consortium
Desktop Linux Consortium
The Desktop Linux Consortium is a non-profit organization which aims at enhancing and promoting the use of the Linux operating system on desktop computers.It was founded on 4 February 2003.- Members :*ArkLinux*CodeWeavers*Debian*KDE...
and member of the Interop Vendor Alliance.
In July 2007, Xandros bought Scalix
Scalix
Scalix is an e-mail and groupware server that runs on Linux, licensed under the Scalix Public License .Scalix provides e-mail, group calendaring and other collaborative software, which are standard in groupware...
, a Linux-based email and collaboration product, based on HP OpenMail
HP OpenMail
HP OpenMail was an enterprise e-mail messaging and collaboration product from Hewlett-Packard.It was known for its ability to interconnect several other APIs and protocols, including MAPI, cc:Mail, SMTP and MIME, and was originally based on the OSI standards such as X.400...
.
In July 2008, Xandros acquired Linspire
Linspire
Linspire, previously known as LindowsOS, was a commercial operating system based on Debian GNU/Linux and later Ubuntu. Linspire was published by Linspire, Inc. and focused on ease-of-use, targeting home PC users...
.
Products
Xandros makes products for both the consumer and business markets. While the distributions include many packages licensed as free softwareFree software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
and open-source, Xandros was criticized for inclusion of proprietary software
Proprietary software
Proprietary software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of the copyright holder. The licensee is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, while restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering.Complementary...
developed in-house by the Xandros Corporation.
Xandros Desktop Home Edition
This edition came with a 30-day trial of Crossover OfficeCrossover
-Fiction and media:* Fictional crossover, a storyline combining characters or settings from separate fictional properties** Fictional crossovers in video games* Crossover , a 2002 documentary by Justin Lin...
. It also included an "Applications CD" which includes extra programs which can be installed via Xandros Networks. As opposed to Home Edition Premium, the Home Edition did not include the photo manager, music manager, security suite, wireless profiles, or the ability to write to NTFS
NTFS
NTFS is the standard file system of Windows NT, including its later versions Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, and Windows 7....
partitions.
Xandros Desktop Home Edition Premium
This edition came with a full version of Crossover Office Standard Edition, and a second CD (the "Applications CD") which included extra applications which could be installed via Xandros Networks. Despite its name, Xandros Desktop Home Edition Premium did not include a Xandros Networks Premium Membership.Xandros Corporation offered a 30-day trial version of Xandros Home Edition Premium as a free download for evaluation purposes.
Xandros Desktop Professional
Formerly known as Xandros Desktop Business Edition, this edition was basically the same as Xandros Desktop Home Edition Premium, but it included the ability to authenticate to Windows PDC and Active DirectoryActive Directory
Active Directory is a directory service created by Microsoft for Windows domain networks. It is included in most Windows Server operating systems. Server computers on which Active Directory is running are called domain controllers....
Domains, used PPTP
Point-to-point tunneling protocol
The Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol is a method for implementing virtual private networks. PPTP uses a control channel over TCP and a GRE tunnel operating to encapsulate PPP packets....
VPN to connect remotely to the office, and used broadband wireless connectivity with 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
, GSM and UMTS
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System is a third generation mobile cellular technology for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed by the 3GPP , UMTS is a component of the International Telecommunications Union IMT-2000 standard set and compares with the CDMA2000 standard set for...
support. Xandros Desktop Professional was officially released on 28 November 2006.
As with Home Edition Premium, Xandros Corporation also offered a 30-day trial version of Xandros Professional.
Presto
Introduced in 2009, Presto was a lightweight "instant-on" operating system which uses the lightweight Xfce 4.6 desktop environmentDesktop environment
In graphical computing, a desktop environment commonly refers to a style of graphical user interface derived from the desktop metaphor that is seen on most modern personal computers. These GUIs help the user in easily accessing, configuring, and modifying many important and frequently accessed...
. Similar to Canonical's Wubi
Wubi
Wubi, WUBI or wubi may refer to:* Wubi method, a Chinese character input method**Wubi 86, a version of Wubi method* Wubi , an installer for the Ubuntu operating system...
installer for Ubuntu
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
, it was installed inside of Microsoft Windows, with Windows XP as the earliest supported version. It also had access to an "application store" based on CNR
CNR (software)
CNR was a free one-click software delivery service that was created to make finding and installing Linux software easier. It assists the user in finding and installing software on their computer, it sits dormant in the system tray when not in use....
, which was acquired through Xandros' acquisition of Linspire
Linspire
Linspire, previously known as LindowsOS, was a commercial operating system based on Debian GNU/Linux and later Ubuntu. Linspire was published by Linspire, Inc. and focused on ease-of-use, targeting home PC users...
in mid-2008.
Xandros Moblin
In 2009, Xandros announced that it would develop a new netbook operating system based on Moblin v2.Server systems
Xandros Desktop Management Server (xDMS) was available. It easily set up repositories as it deploys customized Xandros Desktop configurations across a large organization.Xandros Server was designed to run on servers
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
. It was officially launched at the 2006 LinuxWorld Conference and Expo
LinuxWorld Conference and Expo
OpenSource World is a conference and trade show that focuses on open source and Linux solutions in the information technology sector.The show is owned and managed by IDG World Expo, a business unit of International Data Group...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, on 25 April 2006, and officially released for purchase at the Xandros website on 1 May 2006, at a MSRP
Suggested retail price
The manufacturer's suggested retail price , list price or recommended retail price of a product is the price which the manufacturer recommends that the retailer sell the product. The intention was to help to standardise prices among locations...
of USD 450. Xandros Server 2.0 has been released in May 2007.
Previous editions
Xandros Open Circulation Edition (OCE) was a freely redistributable edition for non-commercial use, with a limited set of additional software. Soon after the 4.0 version was released as a DVD shrinkwrapped with Linux magazines, the torrent was pulled from Xandros' servers and all references to OCE removed from the Xandros website without explanation. Previous versions of Xandros OCE were generally released about 4 months after the release of the commercial versions.Xandros Desktop OS Standard Edition was basically the same as the Open Circulation Edition, but it included full-speed CD/DVD burning. This product was replaced by Home Edition.
Xandros Desktop OS Deluxe Edition included an "applications CD" which included extra programs which could be installed via Xandros Networks. This product was replaced by Home Edition Premium.
Xandros Desktop OS Surfside Edition was basically the same as Xandros Desktop OS Standard Edition, however the Surfside Edition also included a Plantronics USB headset and 120 minutes of Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
Out service.
According to DistroWatch
DistroWatch
DistroWatch is a website which provides news, popularity rankings, and other general information about various Linux distributions as well as other free software/open source Unix-like operating systems such as OpenSolaris, MINIX and BSD. It now contains information on several hundred distributions...
, Xandros Desktop is discontinued.http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=xandros DistroWatch made the decision because no new official version or official updates to Xandros Desktop have been released since November 2006.http://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20100426#news
When Xandros purchased Linspire, they announced plans to retain Freespire
Freespire
Freespire was a community-driven Linux distribution which was composed mostly of free, open source software, while providing users the choice of including proprietary software including multimedia codecs, device drivers and application software....
as a Debian-based free community distribution and to base future editions of Xandros Desktop Professional - Home Edition and Home Edition Premium were to be discontunued - on Freespire. (This would be similar to the way Novell
Novell
Novell, Inc. is a multinational software and services company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Attachmate Group. It specializes in network operating systems, such as Novell NetWare; systems management solutions, such as Novell ZENworks; and collaboration solutions, such as Novell Groupwise...
bases SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop , formerly introduced as Novell Linux Desktop, is a Linux distribution supplied by Novell and targeted at the business market. It is targeted for desktops. New major versions are released at an interval of 24–36 months, while minor versions are released every 9–12...
on their free openSUSE
OpenSUSE
openSUSE is a general purpose operating system built on top of the Linux kernel, developed by the community-supported openSUSE Project and sponsored by SUSE...
and to the way Redhat bases Redhat Enterprise Linux on their free Fedora
Fedora (operating system)
Fedora is a RPM-based, general purpose collection of software, including an operating system based on the Linux kernel, developed by the community-supported Fedora Project and sponsored by Red Hat...
.) However, according to one website, Xandros has discontinued Freespire. In addition, the DistroWatch website has added Freespire to its list of discontinued distributions.
Look and feel
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
used a modified version of KDE
KDE
KDE is an international free software community producing an integrated set of cross-platform applications designed to run on Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Mac OS X systems...
, which included replacing Konqueror
Konqueror
Not to be confused with the Conqueror web browser.Konqueror is a web browser and file manager that provides file-viewer functionality for file systems such as local files, files on a remote ftp server and files in a disk image. It is a core part of the KDE desktop environment...
with its own proprietary file manager called Xandros File Manager. It also used a package manager known as Xandros Networks, which handles installation of software. Installation of Xandros was done by a wizard that asks questions about partitioning and the administrator (root) password.
It was possible to install and use the GNOME
GNOME
GNOME is a desktop environment and graphical user interface that runs on top of a computer operating system. It is composed entirely of free and open source software...
and Xfce
Xfce
Xfce is a free software desktop environment for Unix and other Unix-like platforms, such as Linux, Solaris, and BSD – though recent compatibility issues have arisen with regard to BSD Unix platforms...
desktop environments on Xandros.
BridgeWays for Microsoft Systems Center
In June 2007, a "broad collaboration agreement" between Xandros and Microsoft was announced. The agreement included "patent covenants, similar to the agreement that Microsoft reached with NovellNovell
Novell, Inc. is a multinational software and services company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Attachmate Group. It specializes in network operating systems, such as Novell NetWare; systems management solutions, such as Novell ZENworks; and collaboration solutions, such as Novell Groupwise...
.
In 2009, Xandros BridgeWays released the first of many Management Packs for Systems Center.
The BridgeWays Management Pack Suite of products includes:
- VMware ESX virtualization and HyperV Extensions;
- JBoss, Apache, IBM WebSphere, Oracle WebLogic application development environments;
- Oracle, IBM DB2, MySQL database products;
- Apache web servers and more.
In 2010 BridgeWays is “Extending System Center”, by expanding the scope and market potential for Systems Center, with Windows, Linux, UNIX and VMware application environment monitoring. BridgeWays’ only focus is on building, selling and supporting Management Packs for System Center. See BridgeWays users can now track their alerts through System Center Service Manager 2010
BridgeWays does not compete with Microsoft. This group works closely with the Microsoft System Center R&D, Sales and Marketing teams to maximize value to System Center customers. In addition Xandros Bridgeways System Center resells direct and through its partner network of Distributors, ISVs, and SI MVPs worldwide as a contributing member of the System Center community.
ASUS Eee PC
In a collaboration of ASUS hardware and the Xandros operating system, the first "netbook" came into being. The ASUS Eee PCASUS Eee PC
The Asus Eee PC is a subnotebook/netbook computer line from ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated, and a part of the Asus Eee product family. At the time of its introduction in late 2007, it was noted for its combination of a light weight, Linux operating system, solid-state drive , and relatively low cost...
came with Xandros installed as well as Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
. The installed version of Xandros is tab based, built from scratch using Xlib and the Qt 4.5 toolkit
Qt (toolkit)
Qt is a cross-platform application framework that is widely used for developing application software with a graphical user interface , and also used for developing non-GUI programs such as command-line tools and consoles for servers...
. The full desktop version (or "Advanced Mode") may be installed—but not always easily—through a set of administrative command prompts. The full desktop version features a KDE
KDE
KDE is an international free software community producing an integrated set of cross-platform applications designed to run on Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Mac OS X systems...
3 desktop with a few modifications performed by Xandros. This desktop mode also provides access to the Synaptic Package Manager
Synaptic Package Manager
Synaptic is a computer program which is a GTK+ graphical user interface front-end to the Advanced Packaging Tool for the Debian package management system. Synaptic is usually used on systems based on deb packages but can also be used on systems based on RPM packages...
which can be used to update and manage the Eee PC's software.
In February 2009 it was announced Xandros is porting its Eee PC Linux distribution to 2 ARM processor-based (Freescale i.MX515
I.MX
The i.MX range is a family of Freescale Semiconductor proprietary microprocessors for multimedia applications based on the ARM architecture and focused on low-power consumption. The i.MX application processors are SoCs , that integrate many processing units into one die, like the main CPU, a video...
& the Qualcomm Snapdragon
Snapdragon (processor)
Snapdragon is a family of mobile system on chips by Qualcomm. Qualcomm considers Snapdragon a "platform" for use in smartphones, tablets, and smartbook devices.The Snapdragon application processor core, dubbed Scorpion, is Qualcomm's own design...
CPU) platforms for netbooks & other mobile devices.